New Orleans truck attack: FBI, HCSO search Houston home for hours
The FBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office spent hours Wednesday at what is believed to be the Houston home of Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The FBI identified him as the man who drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
HOUSTON – The FBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office spent hours in a Houston neighborhood Wednesday as part of the investigation into the deadly New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead.
Authorities say the suspect in the attack, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is from Houston.
The FBI said agents and deputies were conducting a court-authorized search near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive on Wednesday. A home at the location is believed to be connected to the suspect.
MORE: New Orleans live updates: Driver plows into Bourbon Street crowd, killing 10
They arrived at the location on Wednesday afternoon, and it remained blocked off by law enforcement Thursday morning.
Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, the FBI said in a statement that no arrests had been made.
“Throughout this operation, we have deployed specialized teams including our FBI SWAT team, Crisis Negotiators, Special Agent Bomb Technicians, Tactical Operations Center, Evidence Response Team, and a group of counterterrorism investigators. We are grateful for the substantial assistance provided by our partners at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI),” the FBI said, in part, in the statement.
The public is asked to avoid the area as the investigation is conducted.
What happened in New Orleans?
Houston man suspected in New Orleans truck attack that killed 15
The death toll has risen to 15 after a man drove a truck down Bourbon Street in New Orleans early New Year’s Day. Authorities say the suspect is from Houston.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens more were injured when a man intentionally drove down Bourbon Street early New Year’s morning, authorities say.
The FBI identified Jabbar as the suspect.
“He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.
According to Kirkpatrick, around 3:15 a.m., the man drove a pickup truck around the barricades blocking Bourbon Street and drove down the street at a fast pace, “trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.”
Once the driver crashed, he opened fire on officers, Kirkpatrick said. Two officers were struck and taken to the hospital in stable condition.
The FBI says officers returned fire, and the man died at the scene.
Who is Shamsud-Din Jabbar?
Shamsud-Din Jabbar (Photo provided by FBI)
According to the FBI, Jabbar is a U.S.-born citizen from Texas and an Army veteran.
RELATED: New Orleans truck attack suspect identified as Houston resident, FOX News reports
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the suspect has been living in the Houston area.
Patrick says Jabbar rented the pickup truck on Monday and had been driving the rented vehicle in Houston before heading to New Orleans.
RELATED: New Orleans attack: Truck with Texas license plates plowed into crowd on Bourbon Street
New Orleans truck attack suspect identified
The FBI has identified the suspect accused of driving a truck down New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, killing 10 people, as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. FOX News reports that the suspect is a resident of Houston. Here’s what we know.
Driver’s potential terrorist organization ties investigated
In a statement Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the FBI is investigating the incident as “an act of terrorism.”
The FBI says an ISIS flag was on the trailer hitch of the pickup truck, and the agency is working to determine any possible associations with terrorist organizations.
The FBI says weapons and a potential improvised explosive device were found in the man’s vehicle, and other potential IEDs were also found in the French Quarter. Technicians were working to determine if they were viable and render them safe.
The FBI is leading the investigation.
FBI sets up tip line following New Orleans truck attack
The FBI is asking for the public’s help with the investigation.
The agency would like to speak to anyone who interacted with Jabbar in the last 72 hours.
SUGGESTED: What we know about Texas man ID’d as New Orleans truck attack suspect
Anyone with information, videos or pictures is also asked to provide them to the FBI.
Call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online.
The Source: The information in this article is from the FBI, the New Orleans Police Department and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The updated death toll comes from the Associated Press.
